Reply #37: Well, you & I disagree w/ what this study concludes, and that's fine. [View All]

[Brotherjohn]

I don't have a problem w/ looking at possible environmental triggers, even though we do not know for sure if there ARE any (as you know, we really know precious little about autism). I think it's likely, and I think, as a general area, it merits investigation. I think television can very well exacerbate autistic symptoms, but as I point out in response to a poster below, i think that is very different from causing it (and any child will be negatively affected from too much TV).

The problem w/ looking for environmental triggers is that there are so MANY possible ones. As I stated above, pretty much infinite: TV, indoor air, too much sugar, mercury, ozone, PVC, fluoride, ... rock music (I kid). Studies looking for such, IMHO, need to forge a tighter link in order to get me to start to think "Hmmmnn, there's something to this one".

And I may be opening up a can of worms, but I think you & I have calmed down and can discuss this rationally. I don't know where you stand on the thimerosol thing, and I really don't have time to get into an extensive discussion of it (so if anybody else responds, sorry, I've gotta get back to my job). But in the vane of my last post re why i'm so opinionated on such studies (and wary of studies showing some environmental link), thousands of kids undergo chelation therapy (probably each day) in an attempt to treat autism. I think that is horrific and based on similar correlative evidence as this, so i think we really need to be more responsible in reporting and publishing studies that have not been thoroughly vetted, lest we get all kinds of quacks dealing snake oil to desperate parents.

IMHO, the mercury case has pretty much been closed (no discernible effect and mostly out of use now anyway), and in any case, there is no real evidence that transfusions with solutions that supposedly "cleanse" my child's blood of mercury would ever A) even do that or B) ever mediate hypothesized effects of mercury that mnay have already led to his autism. There is plenty of evidence, however, that such stress can cause regression (not to mention the stress of the family going bankrupt).